Radiation-emitting semiconductor body

Abstract

A radiation-emitting semiconductor body includes a contact layer and an active zone. The semiconductor body has a tunnel junction arranged between the contact layer and the active zone. The active zone has a multi-quantum well structure containing at least two active layers that emit electromagnetic radiation when an operating current is impressed into the semiconductor body.

1. A radiation-emitting semiconductor body comprising:
 a contact layer; 
 an active zone; 
 a tunnel junction arranged between the contact layer and the active zone, wherein the tunnel junction comprises at least one n-type tunnel junction layer and at least one p-type tunnel junction layer; and 
 an undoped region comprising at least one undoped interlayer contained between the at least one n-type tunnel junction layer and the at least one p-type tunnel junction layer, wherein the undoped region comprises at least two interlayers having different compositions; 
 wherein the active zone has a multi-quantum well structure containing at least two active layers that emit electromagnetic radiation when an operating current is impressed into the semiconductor body. 
 
     
     
       2. The semiconductor body as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a barrier layer having a layer thickness of less than or equal to 9 nm arranged between two active layers of the at least two active layers. 
     
     
       3. The semiconductor body as claimed  claim 1 , wherein the active zone comprises three to five active layers. 
     
     
       4. The semiconductor body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least the active zone is based on a nitride-III compound semiconductor material. 
     
     
       5. The semiconductor body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the contact layer comprises an n-type contact layer. 
     
     
       6. The semiconductor body as claimed in  claim 1   claim 7 , wherein at least the following semiconductor layers succeed one another in the specified order in a growth direction:
 an n-type contact layer, 
 the tunnel junction, wherein the at least one p-type tunnel junction layer succeeds the undoped region and the latter succeeds the at least one n-type tunnel junction layer in the growth direction, 
 a p-doped confinement layer, 
 the active zone, and 
 a further n-type contact layer. 
 
     
     
       7. The semiconductor body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the at least one n-type tunnel junction layer and/or the at least one p-type tunnel junction layer contains a superlattice composed of alternating layers having different material compositions and/or dopant concentrations. 
     
     
       8. The semiconductor body as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising an undoped interlayer having a layer thickness of between 3 and 40 nm on that side of the active zone which is remote from the tunnel junction. 
     
     
       9. The semiconductor body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein, during operation with an operating current, the semiconductor body emits electromagnetic radiation having a spectral distribution with an intensity maximum, wherein a full width at half maximum of the spectral distribution is substantially independent of a current intensity of the operating current. 
     
     
       10. The semiconductor body as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a further tunnel junction and a further active zone which succeed the active zone in a growth direction. 
     
     
       11. The semiconductor body as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a p-doped confinement layer; and 
 a diffusion barrier for a p-type dopant of the p-doped confinement layer arranged between the p-doped confinement layer and the active zone. 
 
     
     
       12. The semiconductor body as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the diffusion barrier contains a superlattice. 
     
     
       13. The semiconductor body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor body is configured to operate with an operating current density of greater than or equal to 100 A/cm 2 . 
     
     
       14. The semiconductor body as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the semiconductor body can operate with an operating current density of greater than or equal to 200 A/cm 2 .